A partial ban on gambling advertising aimed at protecting children from harm has been announced by the Prime Minister as part of a reform package slammed as “half-baked” by advocates.
Anthony Albanese used a speech at the National Press Club today to outline a range of gambling measures the Federal Government plans to introduce.
Labour’s plan includes a cap of three ads per hour on TV between 6am and 8.30pm, a total ban on live sport broadcasts during those hours, and a ban on gambling advertising on the radio during school pick-up and drop-off times.
Gambling ads will also be banned on online platforms unless the user is logged in, over 18, and have an option to opt out, as well as ads featuring celebrities or athletes, odds-on ads targeted at sports fans, and ads placed at sports venues or on players’ uniforms.
Mr Albanese told the National Press Club: “We’re getting the balance right, allowing adults to enjoy panto if they want to, but ensuring that children don’t see gambling advertising everywhere they look.”
”Because we don’t want kids growing up thinking that soccer and gambling are inextricably linked. We want Australians to love sport for what it is.”
Mr Albanese also warned of a crackdown on online lottery products and overseas gambling providers, as well as a ban on online keno “pocket pokies”.
The announcement comes more than three years after the government was handed the report “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose more” from the parliamentary inquiry into the harms of online gambling led by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy.
Three years have passed since the government was handed a report on how to reduce the harm caused by gambling. (ABC News: Stephen Cavenagh)
The study made 31 recommendations, including a gradual and complete ban on online gambling advertising, television, radio, stadiums and jerseys.
It also called for the creation of a national online gambling harm reduction strategy, clearer federal regulation, the establishment of a new independent online gambling ombudsman, and the introduction of a harm reduction tax on gambling companies to fund research, education and support services.
One of the key recommendations was to prohibit or limit solicitations such as bonus wagers and promotions that encourage high-risk wagers.
Mr Albanese said the government would set out a full response to the Murphy report when Parliament reconvenes in May.
“The Murphy report is the beginning, not the end,” he said.
He added that “more than half” of gambling incidents were caused by slot machines, but this was not addressed in the report.
However, the Prime Minister described the proposals as “the most significant gambling reforms ever undertaken”.
Following a report in the Sydney Morning Herald suggesting Mr Albanese intends to immediately respond to the gambling investigation, ACT independent senator David Pocock called on the government not to water down its recommendations.
“Using a major global conflict as a cover for a half-hearted response almost three years after the Murphy Inquiry was released is a betrayal of all Australians.”
Senator Pocock said.
“The publication of this under the guise of a significant increase in international uncertainty, citing minor changes to gambling advertising, must be condemned for its content.”
Senator Pocock said the report identified banning gambling inducements as the “most urgent” reform needed to minimize harm.
“Australians have seen a kind of half-hearted response from a vested-interested Albanian government that has not suffered for years at the hands of gambling companies,” he said.
Deakin University professor Samantha Thomas, who studies gambling, said she was concerned the government’s response did not adequately address the harms, including the risks to children.
“We want action, not showboating,” she said.
”We need effective reforms that actually protect young people, rather than giving industries the freedom to innovate based on rules.”
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